A program is written in a particular programming language that uses specific words and symbols to express the problem solution. A programming language defines a set of rules that determine exactly how a programmer can combine the words and symbols of the language into programming statements, which are the instructions that are carried out when the program is executed.
Since the inception of computers, many programming languages have been created.We use the Java language in this and coming articles to demonstrate various programming concepts and techniques. Although our main goal is to learn these underlying software development concepts, an important side-effect will be to become proficient in the development of Java programs.
Java is a relatively new programming language compared to others. It was developed in the early 1990s by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. Java was introduced to the public in 1995 and has gained tremendous popularity since. One reason Java got some initial attention was because it was the first programming language to deliberately embrace the concept of writing programs that can be executed using the Web. The original hype about Java’s Web capabilities initially obscured the far more important features that make it a useful generalpurpose programming language.
Java is an object-oriented programming language. Objects are the fundamental pieces that make up a program. Other programming languages, such as C++, allow a programmer to use objects but don’t reinforce that approach, which can lead to confusing program designs. Most importantly, Java is a good language to use to learn programming concepts. It is fairly elegant in that it doesn’t get bogged down in unnecessary issues as some other languages do. Using Java, we are able to focus on important issues and not on superfluous details.
The Java language is accompanied by a library of extra software that we can use when developing programs. This library provides the ability to create graphics, communicate over networks, and interact with databases, among many other features. Although we won’t be able to cover all aspects of the libraries, we will explore many of them. The set of supporting libraries is huge, and quite versatile.
Java is used in commercial environments all over the world. It is one of the fastest growing programming technologies of all time. So not only is it a good language in which to learn programming concepts, it is also a practical language that will serve you well in the future.